Welcome to IMHO USA

The 7th Annual Convention of the International Medical Health Organization (IMHO) took place with great success on Friday, April 30th and Saturday, May 1st at the Hilton Hotel in Boston (Woburn). We were thrilled to have so many join us for this important gathering. At present, many of the health and medical needs of the IDPs, resettled IDPs, and those throughout the Northeast affected by the conflict have yet to be redressed. The most pressing current needs touch on issues of mental health, amputee rehabilitation, sanitation & clean water, health infrastructure development, microcredit/livelihoods support, and local personnel training & support. Our convention this year focused on two of the current areas of greatest need—mental health issues and comprehensive rehabilitation for war amputees. We were proud to have so many esteemed speakers share their insights, experiences, and knowledge with us, including those from backgrounds in health care, academic, and NGO/nonprofit work. Roughly 200 guests joined for Friday's activities and 300+ joined on Saturday.

Activities began on Friday evening with the CME medical lectures, IMHO Youth Forum, and IMHO Women’s Forum all conducting sessions that featured a number of speakers and general discussions. A dinner catered by Pongal Restaurant took place immediately after the activities. The medical lectures featured 4 prominent doctors: Dr. Ganesh Ravindran, who spoke on Code STEMI; Dr. N. Rajakumar, who spoke on Brain Abnormalities in Autism; Dr. Frederick Stoddard, Jr., who spoke on Disaster Psychiatry; and Dr. Nanda Nanthakumar, who spoke on Bacterial Colonization and Clinical Disease.

The IMHO Women’s Fourm, which is designed to increase the participation of women in IMHO and provide an opportunity for issues related to women’s health and well-being in Sri Lanka and elsewhere to be discussed, featured several speakers as well. Elizabeth Yost of PEER (Partnering for Economic Empowerment and Renewal) Servants (www.peerservants.org) talked about her organization and the work they’ve done with microfinance for women in Jaffna and other places around the world. Drs. Sujanthy Rajaram and Rajam Theventhiran, both members of the IMHO Board of Directors, also touched on microcredit efforts and the need for improved systems of care for orphans and other children who grow up in children’s homes. Specific project ideas were floated at the meeting as well. There was a feeling of great motivation and a strong hope for collective action fostered during the gathering.

IMHO held two fundraising & awareness-raising events on Saturday, November 21st in Phoenix, Arizona and Carmel, Indiana. A nice buffet dinner, followed by an IMHO presentation and Question & Answer session by an IMHO representative, took place at a private residence in Phoenix. About 20 persons attended and learned about IMHO, its global activities, and its attention to the needs of the resettled (or soon to be resettled) IDPs in Sri Lanka.

Attention to mental health is of primary concern, as there is great need to help develop mental health services and treat the many who were displaced or deeply affected by the conflict. Also of concern is the need for physical rehabilitation for amputees, livelihoods support and empowerment (especially for women) to help get families back on their feet, and continued attention to primary care, sanitation, and water. 

A second event was held in Carmel, Indiana at the Bayhill Club House. Organized by local supporters of IMHO, the event drew in a number of families and collected much needed funds for meeting the needs of the IDPs in Sri Lanka. 

We are very grateful to all who helped organize these events and bring IMHO to the attention of those in these new areas. If you or anyone you know is interested in starting an IMHO chapter or hosting an IMHO event, please contact us to discuss specifics. Through the support of our volunteers we can continue to share our work with others and build the organization, so that we may better serve those in need globally.